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art and process

In May of 2013, I had the privilege of attending the Portrait Society of America Conference. Im a little late in writing about it. My piece “Life 2″ won an award of Honor. I also participated in the face off event of which I won the peoples choice award and was asked to do a painting demo for the conference attendees. Below are a few pictures of the event . The sketches are by James Gurney who drew as he watched many of us work (he is amazing). This April I will be attending again as part of the staff. I Hope to see some of you there.

“There are artists that are master draftsmen, who can capture the intricacies and the details of movement, light, line and shadow that comprise a painting in a manner that is mathematical and precise. Then there are expressionistic artists who with their brushstrokes can better capture the emotional essence of a person or the aura of a scene without conveying every detail. Finding an artist that can do both is rare, but Hein possesses that type of talent. His paintings draw to mind the types of images and emotion found in work by Albrecht Dürer or Rembrandt, who he cites as an influence on his artistic development…”

I was fortunate to win the directors award this year at the Springville Museum of Art’s annual spiritual and religious show for my painting, “As a Hen Gathereth”. It is on display through January 2013. Thank you to the SMOA.

The past week, Jeff has been working on another painting in his “Life” series – this one featuring warm pink shades, unlike the previous painting (Life #2) that focused more on cooler hues. The lighting for this painting was a little more complex than the previous “Life” paintings, with a purple light in the shadows, and a more fuchsia shade in the reflected light and background. One of the reasons Jeff chose the bright pink was because of the way it brought out similar tones in her cheeks and lips. Can’t wait to see the finished product!

Today at the studio, Hein Academy of Art student, Heather Rison, snapped some quick photos of Jeff working on his current painting of his assistant, Lis. The painting has a similar theme and process as “Life #1″, with colored lighting on the side of the face and an animal in the hands of the subject.
Also, I hope you all notice the little parakeet sitting on Jeff’s shoulder… We have another studio pet! This little guy will be featured in the painting as well. More pictures to come!